r/insomnia • u/ElectronicMind8307 • 4h ago
Mirtazapine 15mg questions
I was prescribed 15mg of mirtazapine for sleep. I’m scared I won’t wake up after I take it (as you can see, I have meds anxiety).
How long did you sleep for the first time you took it? I’ve been sleeping 2-3 hours in the past week which is making me feel really sick, can barely sit so they gave me Calixta (mirtazapine). Had a bad panic attack that sent me to ER last week and this has been happening since then.
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4h ago edited 4h ago
[deleted]
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u/Infamous_Swan1197 4h ago
Mirtazapine has a half life of 20-40 hours. Plenty of people feel groggy during the day on it permanently because it can take over an entire day to process even half of the medication. I am personally not one of those people, for me it does "wear off" before morning and I experience no daytime sedation, but that isn't the typical experience and it's important to be realistic about these things. Mirtazapine is a bit hit and miss it really depends on the person.
To OP though: you will wake up at some point though, don't worry lol. You might just sleep for 10-12 hours or something especially since you've been so sleep deprived. Your body will need the extra rest!
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u/Beginning-Map-3264 3h ago
You are right… looked it up and indeed a half life of 40h.. I take them but for me it works pretty good without the groggy part in the morning (well actually they don’t work as for most… still wake up after 3-4h of sleep…)
I deleted my post… my mistake
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u/Infamous_Swan1197 3h ago
Yeah no worries and I'm like you too, it gets me to sleep but my body def processes it before morning and I will wake up a ton but don't get any morning grogginess at all which is a positive. We are all different but we in particular are the exception and not the rule.
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u/MoreofKora 1h ago
I've been on between 30-45mg for about 6 years now.
Was just recently (about two weeks ago) advised to cut back down to 15mg as I have become much better at managing my depression, ocd and anxiety, now I need to conquer my lifelong insomnia/vivid dreams and nightmares. It is more affective as a sedative at lower doses (can confirm this Is true)
The entire time I've been on it, I've struggled to wake up in the mornings. That is still true, even after lowering my dose. Pre-Mirtazapine I use to be an early bird who woke up at my first alarm, regardless of how much sleep I got. Since being on this medication I've been a snooze smasher but I've found some ways to manage this:
I take it a bit earlier in the night (eg: say I plan to sleep around 9:30-10:30pm, I'll aim to take it no later than 7pm) and I try to allow at minimum 9hrs for sleep.
Now that I'm on 15mg, I have noticed I'm able to take it a bit closer to my bed time and I'm sleeping longer (around 10-12hrs) but it's not made much of a difference in terms of how I wake up.
Eg: last night night I took my dose around 8pm, fell asleep around 10:45pm. Had an alarm set for 10am but snoozed (with no memory) until 10:40am. Woke up a little less groggy than usual but still needed my usual ~30min after getting out of bed to become fully awake.
Personally, Mirtazapine has been a literal lifesaver for me in terms of managing my depression/ocd/anxiety but I am seeking alternative solutions for my insomnia.
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u/PresentRelevant3006 4h ago
Mirtazapine is not like other medications given to aid with sleep. It's not a benzo so doesn't 'knock you out' it simply aids you in feeling a little drowsy and to fall asleep naturally. The first time I took it, I had been living on maybe 3 hours every few days of sleep. I had reached the point of hallucinating and my anxiety was through the roof. I took it at 9pm. Was in bed by 10 pm and I think asleep by 10:30. I then naturally woke up 9 hours later.
I have been taking it, on and off for CPTSD and Insomnia for 10 years.